Multiple crash issues

spypoint wrote on 5/29/2010, 3:15 PM
I’m having a host of computer-related problems with VMS9 in both editing and rendering. None of them stays but they all recur at some time or another, making production of my editing project very, very frustrating.

I’m running Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit, dual core 2.4 Gig with 4 GB RAM. I am importing 1280 x 720 pixel .mov videos and still photos into a project that will probably end up being about 30 minutes in length. I hope to render it to a DVD. I’m using the template HDV 720-30p (1280x720, 29.970 fps). I learned fairly early that my still photos were way too huge for VMS9 to handle them so I’ve reduced all of them to max 800 pixel size (thanks, forum!) and that solved one problem.

Okay, now the current difficulties. Especially as the project got longer, it would freeze up in the editing process. Other times it will just shut down and seemingly disappear. Sometimes it would do this when I tried to review the project and sometimes when manipulating images. As a result, I saved a new vf file after every few edits, figuring I could go back to the last good save if the program crashed. When I would have a difficulty, however, and tried to go back to the last good save, the program would still crash – even back 3 or 4 saves. The same thing happened if I restarted the computer. Sometimes, inexplicably, it will start working again. Sometimes not. Only one time did it give me an error message with details. The rest of the time it would just freeze and I would have to use the task manager to shut it down. Many times, after the program has shut down by itself, the task manager will show the program still operating in the background (?) and using as much as 1 meg of memory. When I shut it down again via the task manager, it goes away for good.

I tried to render a project early on just to see if I could do it. Every time, it would freeze with about 11 per cent of the project done. I was unable to import these partial renders into VMS9.

It seems like some kind of memory issue but I also worry if my processor is fast enough. I’ve read about the 2GB gap fix but not sure if it applies in this case and I’m reluctant to do it unless I have to. I tried running the program as administrator and in XP mode but that hasn’t seemed to help.

Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

Comments

musicvid10 wrote on 5/29/2010, 4:14 PM
I am importing 1280 x 720 pixel .mov videos

Download MediaInfo and post you full file details.
Also post your Quicktime Player version.
spypoint wrote on 5/29/2010, 4:45 PM
Thanks for quick reply. Here’s MediaInfo readout on one of the video files. Quicktime is version 7.6.6 (1671)

General
Complete name : D:\Photos\2010\Taos\2010-05-16\229.MOV
Format : MPEG-4
Format profile : QuickTime
Codec ID : qt
File size : 52.6 MiB
Duration : 18s 400ms
Overall bit rate : 24.0 Mbps
Encoded date : UTC 2010-04-30 22:17:19
Tagged date : UTC 2010-04-30 22:17:19

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : Baseline@L4.1
Format settings, CABAC : No
Format settings, ReFrames : 1 frame
Codec ID : avc1
Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duration : 18s 400ms
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 23.3 Mbps
Width : 1 280 pixels
Height : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 30.000 fps
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.842
Stream size : 51.0 MiB (97%)
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2010-04-30 22:17:19
Tagged date : UTC 2010-04-30 22:17:19
Color primaries : BT.709-5, BT.1361, IEC 61966-2-4, SMPTE RP177
Transfer characteristics : BT.709-5, BT.1361
Matrix coefficients : BT.601-6 525, BT.1358 525, BT.1700 NTSC, SMPTE 170M

Audio
ID : 2
Format : PCM
Format settings, Endianness : Little
Format settings, Sign : Signed
Codec ID : sowt
Duration : 18s 400ms
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 705.6 Kbps
Channel(s) : 1 channel
Sampling rate : 44.1 KHz
Bit depth : 16 bits
Stream size : 1.55 MiB (3%)
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2010-04-30 22:17:19
Tagged date : UTC 2010-04-30 22:17:19
musicvid10 wrote on 5/29/2010, 4:49 PM
Movie Studio 9 doesn't work right with the latest Quicktime versions.
Roll back to QT 7.6 or 7.6.2 and iTunes 8.
Turn off Quicktime "automatic updates."

http://support.apple.com/downloads/#quicktime
http://support.apple.com/downloads/#itunes

This does not guarantee you a cure for everything, but it is a necessary first step.
spypoint wrote on 5/29/2010, 7:52 PM
I'm hesitant to start cheering too early but with the changes you suggested, the program seems to be hanging in there with no crashes even with some difficult edits. Could it be this easy (if annoying!)? It's late; I'm going to start up again tomorrow.

Do you expect these changes (if they prove to work) will also eliminate the rendering issues I was having earlier?

In any event, thanks for your help to this point, musicvid!
musicvid10 wrote on 5/29/2010, 10:45 PM
Do you expect these changes (if they prove to work) will also eliminate the rendering issues I was having earlier?

It might . . .
;?)

Post back with your outcomes.
Ivan Lietaert wrote on 5/30/2010, 4:46 AM
Transcode your mov files using neoscene ($99) or Mpeg Streamclip (free and using the free Avid DNxHD codec). These are lossless transcodes, and you can delete the huge files afterwards.
tutorial: http://eugenia.gnomefiles.org/images2/avid5d.png
spypoint wrote on 5/31/2010, 10:08 AM
Thanks for your help. The rolling back to old versions of QuickTime, etc. seemed to do the job with the editing. No more problems with video although for some reason, the program still crashed with certain still photos. I was able to replace the offending photos (same as the ones in the timeline) and no more crashes. Hooray.

Problems started with rendering. I tried in the MPEG-2 format and it crashed at two different places. I then tried the m2t format and it gave me a 3.1 gig file that shut down at about 22 minutes into 32 minute video. Any ideas on this one?

I've been frustrated at this project ever ending but when I reviewed the preview video that did render, I was blown away by the excellent quality. Maybe I should break it into two parts?

Thanks again.

david_f_knight wrote on 5/31/2010, 5:21 PM
Now you need to perform the >2GB fix.
spypoint wrote on 6/1/2010, 9:39 AM
Thanks, David. I will keep this on hand for the future. I broke the rendering into 2 segments and managed to make it work, but I would have been able to do it quicker (with less frustration) if I had installed one of the fixes you mention.